Hour 19: The Ambush
Hour 19: The Ambush is a special feature found on the Season 7 DVD. Hour 19: The Ambush The feature begins by showing the scene from "Day 7: 2:00am-3:00am" where Renee Walker arrives at 1297 Rincon. Rodney Charters, the Director of Photography, explains that the location they shot at was actually allowed to be blown up as it was going to be demolished anyway. Showing scenes shot on 17 October 2008, Charters explains that they came to the building before to shoot some interior shots for this explosion. He said that they will have six cameras filming the exterior explosion of the building. 22 October : 4:30pm - Stan Blackwell, the special effects supervisor, explains that there will be 81 explosions going off in the building. He shows where they will be and what will be the most visually impressive areas. One part of the building will blow up and as the effects of it subside the second part of the building will go. Whilst FBI agents arrive the third part of the building will explode. Whilst showing the interior of the building Stan comes upon a 60-gallon propane mortar, a huge tank of gas that has cork in the front engineered to look like pieces of wall. There are shotgun mortars positioned throughout the building aimed at windows, devices to shatter glass. Scott Blackwell, the special effects coordinator, shows the "command central" of the explosions. A box is filled with wires, each one of which going to a specific mortar. The box is numbered for each explosion and it can be programmed to go off at a certain time, or can be done manually. directs a scene]] 6:43pm - Rodney Charters explains that the explosion will have to take place in low light conditions as the scene is set in the 2:00am episode. Richard Rosser, the first assistant director, tells all the crew what will be happening in the shot. Director Michael Klick calls "action" and the scene begins; the actor playing Robert Galvez (Gabriel Casseus) begins to act. He then talks about the fact that every actor grows up wanting to work on a show like this, and he has enjoyed the opportunity. Footage returns to filming and Klick continues to dictate the scene how he wants it, with A camera operator Guy Skinner on Casseus. 10:00pm - Charters, and the Blackwell brothers as well as all of their crew are preparing for the explosion. Hal Lary, the transportation coordinator, explains that they have a 4000 gallon water truck on set ready to put out the fire once they are done. Klick comes to prepare for the explosion and directs C camera operator Mike Thomas. Charters introduces Bill Bennett, an assistant director of photography just present to help with the filming of this explosion. He says that Bennett often comes when the crew are blowing things up. He explains that Bennett and his focus puller will have a protective layer of glass in front of them and the camera to save them from any debris. Jeff Cadiente, stunt coordinator, prepares a rehearsal for the stunt actors. Jay Herron, the B camera operator, explains where he will be during the shoot. 10:27pm - Rosser holds a safety meeting with the crew just before the shoot takes place. Two successful rehearsals take place and the explosion goes ahead as planned. 10:52pm - Each of the six camera angles (four ordinary and two eyemo cameras (see Unsung Heroes: 24 Camera Department for more on eyemo cameras) on the explosion are shown as the building is demolished. After the explosion, Rosser says that he thinks it may be the best explosion that has been done on 24. The final scene that was put in the episode is shown, highlighting the fact that there was so many cuts between all the different angles making that number of cameras a worthy necessity. 7 - Ambush